Belgium, with a population of 11.5 million, has recorded 191,959 covid cases and 10,327 deaths as of Friday, Oct. 16. Image: Noppasin Wongchum/Shutterstock via AFP Relaxnews
Belgium will close all cafes and restaurants for four weeks on Monday as it seeks to tackle a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.
The move was announced by deputy prime minister Georges Gilkinet following a meeting of the Belgian government鈥檚 crisis unit.
The Brussels city region already imposed similar restrictions last week but Friday鈥檚 announcement extends them nationwide.
Gilkinet said the decision to close cafes and restaurants 鈥� deemed high-risk venues for spreading the virus 鈥� was taken to try to head off another full lockdown like the one Belgium enforced earlier in the year.
He warned 鈥渢he situation is serious from a health point of view鈥�, and we must 鈥減revent our healthcare system from becoming saturated鈥�.
鈥淥ur hospitals are clogged,鈥� he added.鈥漈he figures are as high as they were in March when we decided on a lockdown, that鈥檚 what we absolutely want to avoid鈥�.
The national lockdown helped bring cases down, but new infections 鈥� as well as serious cases involving hospital admissions 鈥� are rising again.
Belgium, with a population of 11.5 million, has recorded 191,959 covid cases and 10,327 deaths as of Friday.
As a result of a surge in infections in September, the rate of hospitalizations has accelerated in recent days, particularly in Brussels and Belgium鈥檚 French-speaking southern provinces. IB
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